Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the
world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to
over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a
wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history,
humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced
features available, you will need to register first. Registration is
absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

My first Aikido dojo was at the YMCA. I was a young teenager and doing volunteer work at the summer day camp. I first tried Judo and then Aikido. Aikido is what took. It was a trade for the work I did during the summer. It was none of the above. I was lucky in that I had a very good instructor. I was unlucky that my family moved. But hey I would not have walked into a dojo 30 years later if not for that earlier experience. My current dojo was found by walking by the storefront. It had a good location.

I took an introductory Aikido course at the college and was hooked instantly. I had tried Karate, Judo, and a few other martial arts before, but never really cared for any of them. For sure it had more to do with the instructor than the art itself. Before then I had never met a martial arts instructor I could even stand to be around. After that I've managed to find several Aikido instructors who have changed my life.

The university club is nearby and affordable - I'll visit the Shihan across the bay when my back gets a little stronger.

Speaking of personalities: we have six or seven instructors who train in rotation. The most genial - is the one who looks (and is) the toughest, and (carefully) teaches the most brutal jujitsu - with an emphasis on aiki! This fellow will discuss lethal knife attack points, then have us close our eyes, and still ourselves to develop 'sensitivity'.